journal," a republican pollster talks about the messages that democrats and republicans tried to convey at their conventions. also the economy as a political issue and we will discuss the pure research study. >> madam chairman, a delegate, i accept your nomination for the president of the united states. host: president barack obama last night at the democratic national convention in charlotte, north carolina, accepting his party's nomination to run for president for the second time, a second term as 44th president of the united states. good morning and welcome. we will spend the first 40 minutes getting your reaction to the president's speech and what

you saw last night at the convention. the numbers to call -- if you have called in the last 30 days, give others a chance. and be sure to mute your television or radio. you can also reach us on twitter. e-mails are welcome, too. and you can find us on facebook. we will read some of those po sts. once again, the morning and welcome. we will get to your phone calls in a moment. somes how it is playing in of the headlines across the country this morning --

and in the washington post -- and in the wall street journal -- lots more coming up. let's get to your phone calls. brian is waiting on our independent line. what did you hear last night in the president's speech? caller: all the speeches were

pretty good, but, to be quite honest, it is pretty much the same thing. one will promised to do one thing and so on. i am a ron paul supporter, an independent voter. host: can you write him in there in nevada? caller: i will find out tomorrow because it will be my first day off in three weeks. i will find out in a few hours. i am staying up on purpose to call at 8:00 in the morning. host: glad to have you with us. caller: in obama's defense, the republicans did say there were going to do jobs, jobs, jobs. that has yet to come about. at the st. time, mr. obama said

that he would create more jobs. i think they said he created 4.5 million when come to find out it is actually half of that. both parties, like george washington said, get rid of both parties, work together and build our country strong as one nation versus a divided nation. host: thanks, brian. decatur, illinois, a democratic caller is next. the august unemployment number will be coming out. good morning, decatur. looks like we lost dictator. now to mclean, virginia. first i want to show reaction web sites.ewspape here's the huffington post headline --

and the daily caller headline -- duwann in apple valley, illinois? ?oor bob caller: it is bob in apple valley, california. looking at the dnc and the republican convention, the one thing that disturbed me more than anything else is the fact that the republicans are always talking about breaking unions. it is the unions a lot of americans forget brought the minimum wage, health care to the

workplace if paid by the employers, and the hope is in the dnc in my opinion. although i am an independent and i vote my conscience, i will have to vote for the democrats, because they support labor. it is what makes our country strong. thanks for taking my call. host:bob, thanks for your call. president obama in his speech last night laid out to the audience and the delegates and viewers why he's running for a second term. [video clip] >> [cheers and applause] i will not pretend the path i'm offering is quick or easy. i never have. you did not elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. you elected me to tell you the truth. [cheers and applause] the truth is it will take more than a few years for us to solve

challenges that have built up over decades. it will require a common effort and shared responsibility. those of will carry on the legacy should know not every problem can be helped with a government remedy or dictates from washington, but our problems can be solved. our challenges can be met. the paths we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. i'm asking you to choose that future. i am asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country, goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit, real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation.

that's what we can do in the next four years. that's why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. [cheers and applause] host: by the way, if you missed any of the speeches from either convention, there on our website in the video library. oklahoma city, bonni on our republican linee. caller: hello. i think this man is another jim jones. jones took all those people to the wrong place and make them drink kool-aid. this man is the same thing. no wonder the republicans don't work with him. we don't like his left-wing policies. i'm glad they don't.

we need a president that will turn loose the free market and get rid of the regulations so we can have jobs. these black people that call to say he's my man, if you want to drink kool-aid, just vote for him. host: now to pennsylvania on our democrats line. irie, welcome. caller: i am a democrat. i am happy and proud. i am a christian. my faith in god, my roots of being cherokee and african american, and i have irish grandchildren, this is a multi- cultural world. i love america so much.

i had a brother killed in vietnam and another brother in the air force escorted his body back. we have a right to vote and we have a right to be here in america. i have one thing for the republican party, stop lying and stop the discrimination, to stop us from voting. people cannot see that you are evil. this is an evil thing to make hatred, like we are fighting the civil war over again. this world is multicultural and we are free people. get used to it. the market is doing wonderful. thank you very much for washington journal. host: live go to our independent line in ohio on the independent line with jim.

caller: my comment is i keep hearing governor romney saying how many jobs he created, but he never has given us a figure on how many he eliminated as governor. i would like to see both sides of it and compare. i thought the conventions for both parties were very good. and i think that i am going with obama, give him his chance again and this country. will combat host: you voted for obama the last time? caller: i did. i am a uaw retirement. from what i hear from governor romney and paul ryan, they want

to eliminate everything, and change what i'm living on right now. host: let's go to on our republican line from illinoisline. joe, welcome to the conversation. caller: the president has a lot of nice words and everything, but there is something really disturbing to me about this guy. the fact this is a first president making a very serious threat against religious liberties. being catholic, i find nobody is mentioning the hhs mandate where he's trying to force catholic institutions to go against their conscience to pay for sterilization and birth control pills. i also believe he is the most pro-abortion, pro-planned parenthood president in history. i don't believe our veterans

from world war ii to the present time fought to stop religious liberty. they fought to save religious liberty. it is appalling to me that people -- i am a union member, but i would rather lose my job and lose my soul. i believe voting for mr. obama would be the biggest mistake of all. i just want to thank c-span. god bless. host: let's go to our democrats lined. such is in baltimore -- lisa is in baltimore. go ahead. caller: hi. the speech last night, he signed, sealed, and delivered it. i feel he will be our next president. host: thanks for your call. tulsa, oklahoma, gilbert is on our independent line.

hi, go ahead. we will put that on hold and i'm sorry, go ahead. caller: i'm sorry. one of the things i thought was astounding at both conventions was at the rnc there was not one mention of george bush or dick cheney, nothing about them. and nothing about sarah palin. sarah palin helped to put the rnc in the power they have and she did not speak. what the guy just said about saving souls, where are the christian churches on fighting these wars? not one church has mentioned stopping these wars and killing innocent people. in oklahoma where i am, we just

had a serious fire in medford, oklahoma. 90% of those homes did not have insurance. the person who would not meet the president at the airport had her hand out for fema. host: the governor? caller: yes. and in oklahoma, 75,000 people work for the federal government and over 80,000 people work for the indian tribal organizations. people were getting checks from fema the next day after the fires. they did not have insurance on their homes. but we as taxpayers have to pay for that. host: how many folks were affected by that fire? caller: close to 300 homes from what i understand. it is a suburb. of suburb host: we appreciate your call. getting your reaction on facebook as well --

facebook.com/cspan. it was a 40-minute speech from president obama. he covered a wide range of issues including his views on climate change. here's what he had to say. [video clip] >> now you have a choice

between a strategy that reverses this progress or one that builds on it. we have opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years and we will open more. but unlike my opponent i will not let oil companies write this country's energy plants or endanger our coastlines for or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers. we are offering a better path. [cheers and applause] we are offering a better path, a future where we keep investing in wind and solar, and clean coal, where farmers and scientists harness biofuels to power new cars and trucks, where construction workers build homes and factories that weighs less energy to, where we develop a 100 year supply of natural gas that is beneath our feet. if you choose this, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020

and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone. [cheers and applause] and my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet because climate change is not a hoax. it's a threat to our children's future. in this election you can do something about. [cheers and applause] host: the president on the campaign trail today. we will tell you about that. in a bit .et's go to the jones bill, virginia, floyd, at caller: thanks for taking my call. i listened to the democratic convention. i'm a christian. it's hurtful to me to hear the

democrats get upper and boo when he wanted to put god back in the constitution. host: are you talking about the amendment that was added the other day, the insertion into the platform? caller: yes. a gentleman was calling backed a moment ago talked-about churches on war. 3 million babies have been killed through abortion. democrats have a big responsibility for that. when you vote for them, they are taking that upon them. host: are social and moral issues the number-one reason you will vote for mitt romney? caller: yes, sir. when we please god, everything will turn out right.

when it is abomination, for gay marriage, and murder is wrong. immelmanns chapter 1, or go all through the bible, it's wrong. this is why i am voting republican. host: banks. jackie is on our democratic line from durham, north carolina. caller: i was very impressed with the president's speech. i was just calling to throw some positivity out there. i am tired of hearing hate and negativity. in my opinion, mitt romney does not doesme as a single mother. he does not represent my daughters. i don't think he has our best interests at heart like the democrats and like president obama does. so i am voting. -- so i am voting democrat.i host: here is coverage of the

convention and this was written about last night's speech -- now to the independent line with richard in little rock, arkansas, good morning. caller: something i noticed in both of the campaigns neither has mentioned is the educational background. of both background president obama, they brought up

in the last campaign how he got his law degree at harvard. they have not brought up that while mitt romney went to harvard he had a wife and a small child? . while the got a law degree he got a business degree at the same time. i wonder why they have not pressed on this. there should be like a job resume to see what people's backgrounds are. host: dennis, good morning. caller: i want to mention the fact that there's no doubt in my mind that president obama will give great speeches ever egos. he's a great speaker. and how he won his last election. but i do believe part of winning an election will be with the help of bill clinton. this beats the night before was even better. he is really going to help obama win this election. even republicans remember back in the day how good 1992 to 200 was for the economy. host: a couple reactions on

twitter -- next, atlanta, georgia, vivian is a democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. one thing i would like to say is we have to remember that president obama is the president of all the people. he is not our pastor. in response to the person who said about pro-life and other things, he is not our pastor, people. he is the president and he represents all of the people. it does not matter whether who you love.

you know what you believe in, but let him be the president of all the people. yes, i am definitely voting again for our president obama. he needs the chance to have four more years. this economy did not start with him = -- the downfall of it did not start with him. it is years of it. let us give him a chance now to see what's he would do to help. there's a lot of things with romney. god bless him, but i am going for obama. host: a couple different editorial reviews of last night's speech and the convention --

also, look at how things went from the wall street journal --

back to your phone calls. redding, pennsylvania. frank is on our independent line. good morning. caller: thanks for taking my call. it's interesting. i don't understand any of these guys anymore. they forget that they are employees of ours. the president, with all due respect, it bothers me when he said you don't create this business. i have been a small businessman a long time. you sweat and for many weeks you don't have anything. they have to remember that small businesses pay taxes. that's the only way you can build well. government has to get out of our life in a lot of respects. the constitution says the government is only to protect us from internal and external

strife. all this other stuff started when they had these lobbyists who paid politicians and then they have to do them a favor -- and that is our money. the people who go on and do things for whatever reason, and i just heard a single mother talking, i am sorry about that, but what do you want? my money? i retired three years ago and i had credit card debt. it cost me $30,000. i have to fix my house, fix my car. i had an accident. i did not have the money to go do it. don't forget, i used to fill up my gas tank for $16. now with $48, $50. my oil tanker is now before thousand dollars a year.

you go to wal-mart. it used to be $70. now it costs $110 or so. host: you said you used to run a small business, what kind of business was at? caller: i had a small company with an accounting business on the side. i don't like the trickle-down thing. but i have to take a moral view. if you remember the day you were born, you need life sustaining help. i feel sorry about those who are victims of rape and , but that is a human being. host: frank is a former accountant and a business owner. president obama addressed the issue of taxes last night. [video clip]

>> our friends down in tampa at the republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with america, but they did not have much to say about how they would make it right. they want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan. that is because all they have to offer is the same prescription they have had the last 30 years. have a surplus, try a tax cut. t oo hi, try another one. feel cold coming on, take two tax cuts and rollbacks and regulations and call us in the morning. --host: back to your calls on te president's speech. farmington, illinois. good morning on our republican

line, dave. caller: i hope that you'll have "politico" to fact check the president's speech like you did the republicans. i saw lot of inconsistencies in his and the other speeches. we gave obama four a lot of his regulations have stifled the economy. i cannot vote for someone who decides to spin his first two years and could only past two pieces of the gestation, of which one did -- pieces of legislation, of which won the american people did not like. host: that is more frequently

used, that check-in. this is a piece and some of the things the president did not talk about last night, or talked very little about, including health care, the stimulus, voter i.t. loss -- i.d. laws. he did not mention the settlement that his administration helped shepherd through. there are a number of that check articles out this morning. we might get to one or two before we finish up. barbara is in kentucky. good morning. caller: i am 71 years old. i have to be on social security. but i do have hope.

i recently was able to buy a $124,000 home with 3 1/8% interest. i am living in a lovely home now with two disabled sons. the three of us have to combine to survive. i think our present and i think guide - god -- god that i am able to do this. if i were healthy, i would be able to open up a business. host: citimortgage, this is because of a program that the administration started on duty -- getting this mortgage was a result of a program that the administration started?

caller: data not like lending to people my age the -- they do not like lending to people my age. barack obama was part of that. caller: that lady got away with banking god, -- god, but that does not have anything to do with barack obama. i reported a place six months ago with the -- to the ins. i paid $8,000 in taxes last year. host: what kind of job for you on? caller: it is a plantation.

host: a little off topic. but we go to fort worth texas -- fort worth, texas next. caller: i saw the show last night. was a show. it was not him telling us what reality is. we have to pass it before we can see what is in it for his health care bill. we are all still stumbling over that period the unions that are so great had to be bailed out by the rest of us. if the union was like everybody else, we would all be in the same boat. they think they are special and they get waivers for obamas's signature legislation. i am not voting for him -- signaturer obama's

legislation. i am not voting for him and i am not crazy about romney either. neither of these guys served in the military. host: there is a headline saying, the rhetoric on auto bailout is off course. he writes that an analysis by the independent facts checking group found that all of this site to its success, the bottle bill allows are on track to be the most costly move for the federal treasury. losses will far exceed the cost of bailing out wall street's banks and investment firms. the gm share price is about $30 less than the break-even price. the federal government needs to unload its remaining 20% of the company without a loss. gm has paid that $22 billion of

the money received under mr. bush and mr. obama. going back to a comment a caller may a few callers ago -- made a few callers ago. president obama talked about some political ads in last night's speech. [video clip] >> serious issues become sound bites. the truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. if you earned sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am i.. [applause] -- if you are sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am i..

caller: good morning. i looked at both conventions. president obama had everything on point. he said what he would do if he had another term. brownie did not say anything. i could not hear what he was saying. he can be trusted. if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you cannot see anybody who doesn't have anything anyway. he has never been through hard times. he and his wife have always even good. president obama is the one i will voted for and i will get out and do all i can. -- i will vote for and i will get out into all i can. caller: my family has had a

small business all my life. obama made that comment about, you did not build it. it stung me a little bit. it takes more than just me and organizations to build a business and make it work. it takes the customer. it takes the manager and it takes more than you doing the hard work. i go this with the help of a lot of people walking in and out of that door to make the system but it is. now i understand that. i do not just fall apart over those sound bites. host: what kind of business does your family have a? caller: my family in jersey still has a liquor store and bars. it is more than just getting a loan and having a business on the corner. it was about everybody who came

in and out of there. that is what bill that business. you do not build it alone the best that is what built back to business. you do not build its alone -- that is what built that our business. you do not build it alone. host: this article says, for president obama, the party could come to an abrupt halt when the government releases its employment report from august, one reminder of the forces working against him. that report coming out from the labor department. sugar land, texas. -- sugarland, texas. darren is on our republic in line. caller: i am a small businessman. i am having a tough time with

the obama administration getting loans. and the medical care. if i had to go through that with my employees, it is hard to survive. me and my wife works 16 hours a day. we have a hard time to go through all those things. obama needs to be changed. host: from north carolina, we say good morning to wayne. caller: good morning. good morning my fellow americans. i am a registered democrat. i believe i am going to leave the democratic party. host: review voted for president obama in 2008? caller: i was for senator

clinton. i did not voted for president obamas last time. i cannot vote for him this time. the speech was disappointing to me. it seemed like lowry remarks. we are having real trouble here -- it seemed like flour -- flowery remarks. the student loans are not going down. they are going up. all of the loans you have to borrow, it puts you in a fiscal bind when you do graduate. the jobs are not out there. it is a sad thing. host: the president talked about cutting the cost of college tuition in half. would you think the government is capable of doing? caller: i find it hard to

believe that can be done in the near future. it is something we have to work toward, especially for private colleges. when you are paying $500 or $400 a credit our, which is what -- a credit hour, which is what i pay. i am an older person going back to college. i am a health-care professional. i have seen the waste in madison. yes, we are americans. yes, we will come back. we need to have leadership to do that. i do not see that the shift there. host: are you voting this time around? south like your not voting for barack obama. -- sounds like you are not voting for barack obama.

caller: i will voted for governor romney. caller: i am a black, and educate female. i am disabled and i voted for obama last time around. yields -- i do not like either candidate. on the raleigh side, they are talking about the voucher program -- on the romney side, they are talking about the voucher program. on the obama side, i am a roman catholic and i have issues with -- marriage is supposed to be a a union between a man and woman and because -- between a man and a woman because that is the only

way you can procreate. i really do not think he can do that much for our kids. host: how did you vote in 2008? caller: i voted for obama. i was a corporate controller before. i also was a business owner. host: are you working now? caller: i am unable to work. host: we appreciate calling this morning. a few reactions on e-mail. the congress is controlled by lobbyists and large campaign donors. in the past the 80 years, they stopped the grand bargain, a plan that would have balanced the budget and provided tax revisions. another viewer writes, i enjoyed

president obama's speech, such as when he asked for my vote. he covered the main points without sounding like he was doing a check list. i like his reference to citizenship. another caller. ann in huntsville, alabama. caller: i am disappointed with president obama. i urge everybody thinking about voting for mr. obama to see the movie 2016 and read the book, the roots of obama's rage. he has a hidden agenda, and that is anti-colonialism.

he thinks the united states is one of the major players there. the dreams from my father -- he has his fathers's agenda of hating colonialism. host: from what you have seen in the movie, 2016, and the books you have read about the president's post a secret agenda, do you think laying out his vision -- president's agenda, do you think that is an agenda others share and others would object to that vision? caller: they have not objected too much these past four years. he had the whole senate and congress behind him in the first two years and got practically nothing done. the last two years he campaigned and played golf and vacations

and would not play ball with both houses. he went to the bathroom and declined the with and behind closed doors to get the health care -- that some of and behind closed doors to get the health care passed. host: another e-mail. the president addressed for a policy and compared it to that of mitt romney. [video clip] >> now we have a choice. my opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy. from all that we have seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of clustering and blundering that cost america so dearly. he has called russia our number

one enemy, not al qaeda, russia. unless you are still stuck in a cold war mind warp. [applause] you might not be ready for diplomacy in beijing if you cannot visit the olympics without insulting our closest ally. [cheers and applause] my opponent said it was tragic to end the war in iraq. he will not tell us how he will end the war in afghanistan. well, i have and i will. while my opponent would spend more money on military hardware than our joints chiefs wants, i would use the money we are not spending on war to pay down our debt and rebuild roads, and

bridges, and schools. it is time to do some nation building right here at home. [cheers and applause] host: after the speech, the romney campaign released a statement. it was issued after the president's speech. tonight, president obama laid out the choice in this election, making the case for more of the same policies that have not worked in the past four years. he offered more promises, but has not kept the promises he made them years ago. americans know they are not better off and it is time to change direction. mitt romney and paul ryan will deliver a better future foto our country.

tony is on our debt -- is on our independents line. caller: i do not see the difference between the republicans and the democrats. both of these candidates are owned by the central bankers. everybody is under the illusion that there is a difference between democrats and republicans. but there is not. they are playing good cop bad cop. the central bankers have push their agenda. host: who is your candidate in 2012? caller: the only candidate who is qualified to run this country at this time is dr. ron paul. he is a doctor, he is a veteran.

he is focused on the problem, which is the federal reserve. host: can you write him in on the ballot in washington, d.c.? caller: our voted does not count. it does not matter -- our votes do not count. as long as you do not have a paper trail on the voting machine, they can manipulate the vote and make it go anywhere they want it to go. when i go to the store and buy a can that costs 1 cents, they give me a receipt. when i vote-- csandy -- candy that costs 1 cent, they give me a receipt. when i vote, they do not give me

a receipt. host: mitt romney is campaigning in on city. it will be live on c-span. next, indianapolis, indiana. nathan is on our republican line. caller: bin laden maybe data and general motors may be alive, but our economy is in a,. -- is in a coma. my democratic christian friends, let me ask you. does this party represent you? nearly every speech was about data rights, the marriage, abortion -- gay rights, gay marriage, abortion and they

booed when god and israel were put back into the platform. do they represent new? -- you? it is not a matter of whether you are better off today. next year is my fear. that is when all of the health care policy kick in. re was booing when that plight of the platform was inserted on wednesday. here is an analysis of the republicans and democrats as they pursue the presidency. the wall street journal writes, two the version paths to prosperity. the republican case is that

americans prosper only when everyone prospers. the gop serve as a combination that would density of pcs -- the growth of entitlement society has made the government to ban expensive. he continues, increasingly, democrats in charlotte began making a different kind of case. he argued that spending more -- spreading more the tax burden to wealthy americans to continue government programs reduce a middle-class made up of strong consumers and well educated workers to provide a steady base -- sturdy base for economic growth. back to the calls. randall, go ahead. caller: the truth -- the

trickle-down economics have not worked. i do not understand. i am not trying to use race. i do not understand how common white men vote against their interests. obama represents leadership. mitt romney represents a multiple choice and indecisiveness. paul ryan follows an atheist. he is catholic, but he follows the eighth is philosophy of any rand. joe in is a good and loyal man and candid. -- biden is a good and loyal man and he is candid. biden have suffered a

have -- as americans and have overcome. to me, ryan anne romney had had nothing to overcome. they have-- ryan and romney had nothing to overcome. they were born with a silver foot in their mouth. around the time to fix himself. the man has no moral fiber because he cannot support programs in which he has acted. host: a couple more of your calls. i want to point out a front page picture of debbie wasserman schultz and former congresswoman gabby giffords, who was at the convention last night and led the plays of allegiance. [video clip]

>> i play allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god invisible with liberty and justice for all. host: back to calls. tulsa, oklahoma on our independents line. make sure you mute your television or radio. caller: we are always talking about jobs and how we create jobs. all our companies with overseas. you have to think about, how can we get these companies back home. the see what we can do about this.

i have never heard either one of the candidates under a word about that. when people talk about abortion in christianity, you have to think. god said, the vengeance is mine. what another person does, whether they are gay or straight, you do not have the right to tell that person what they are doing is wrong. host: that is one of the issues written about in a piece in usa today. what is most likely to drive the election, the debates, the states involved, particularly the swing states, the issues, jobs, jobs, jobs. she writes about swing voters, women in particular. for that group of women,

suburban independent women, their share of the persuasive universe is much higher than their proportion of the overall electorate. next, we go to tucson, arizona. the ahead with your comments. caller: good morning. i love debbie. i think she was the best speech. we had to close our schools. we are fixing our rose instead of building new roads. i do not understand. three pair is cheaper than building on most things, but not -- repair is cheaper than building on most things, but not all things. i do not care for obama.

i did not voted for him the first time. but he is not a clinton. clinton may have raised him, he thinks, but he is not clinton. host: will host: we appreciate your calls. we'll talk with republican pollster kellyanne conway and talk about some of the messages from the convention. also, the jobs report which is coming out in about 30 minutes and our guest will be marilyn geewax. all that ahead. "washington journal" continues here on c-span. [video clip]

>> they were not things printed in books. they were not images that appeared in the victoria weeklies. they were purchased to hang on their walls, to supplant or rise to the level of religious icons of old. they were icon. >> the civil war images on saturday, at 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. eastern. the battle of antietam. "american history tv," on c- span3. >> the u.n. is us. it can be as powerful as we want it to be.

sometimes we talk about the u.n. as they. it is the government responsible for action in some of these -- it gives them an alibi. one of my predecessors used to say that we often refer to the secretary general for short, but it stands for a scapegoat. there is a scapegoat. >> the scapegoat in chief. >> member states and the media have to be careful not to dump on us so much that we will not be useful as an alibi. >> more with kofi annan on "afterwards."

on "book tv." >> "washington journal" continues. host: and joining us is kellyanne conway to look at the aftermath of the democratic and republican convention. thank you for being with us this morning. what did you think of the present cost speech? -- the president's speech? guest: i think last night was the best evidence that barack obama is a smaller, less joyful version of barack obama 2008. his speech was a way under the mark of his wife's speech. bill clinton setting the table

for president obama the night before. he seemed to play the victim. americans want their presidents theye true leaders, that are the captain of the ship. he talked about growing the government. i thought that was remarkable. i would have thought that he would have more optimistic vision for creating jobs and solving this conundrum of everyday affordability. people are nervous about the rising cost of food and fuel. last night was the first time i realized i think chicago is in

part running a challenger's campaign. give me four years so we can continue to do what we're doing. he is saying, this hasn't gone right and we need four more years to continue to do what we're doing because it hasn't been enough yet. the president gave himself a grade of incomplete. i thought it was a missed opportunity for somebody who is a skilled orator. you had some skilled speeches, including by his wife. host: our phone lines are open, as viewers can see. democrats, 202-737-0001. republicans, 202-737-0002.

independents, 202-628-0205. the campaign begins today. what are the key polls that viewers should keep an eye on? guest: we should not look at the horse race numbers. we look at who is up and who is down. neither president obama nor mitt romney has been able to stay above 50%. there are probably seven or eight swing states where we will be putting our attention and the research will be done and those states on a surprise to anyone. the presidential race in the swing states is pretty much tied but you have senate candidates

and gubernatorial candidates that are starting to pull away. it is fascinating that voters are splitting their tickets already. they still have the two presidential candidates. i think the article you referenced tells the tale of what we will be looking at, the so-called swing voters. they are not undecided about whether they will participate. they are undecided about whom to support. many are female. many are suburban women with school age children and supported president obama in 2008 and then turn around and support republicans at the

congressional level in 2010. for these women, "debt" is a four-letter word. president obama did not touch it lasta nigh. night. these women are very important. host: here is a snapshot poll about where registered voters are as the end of august. your organization can now with a broader paul on women and issues in the 2012 campaign. what is the biggest take away? guest: women are conflicted with how they feel and what they

know when it comes to this president. they feel that he is likable. they believe in optimistic vision. that is how they feel. he has not been able to jump- start the economy or create jobs. the extreme poverty rate for women is the highest ever recorded in this country. webinar conflicted between their heart -- women are conflicted between their heart and there haead. this year, math is the most important subject to them. are you better off than you were four years ago is an important question. there is another question --

ur more years of what? how will my life different? how they behave in 2010 when women favored republicans over democrats at the congressional level. women discuss abortion or gay marriage but there is no indication that is part of their voter motivation. in nobody's polls is abortion and gay marriage in the top three to five issues for men or

women. i'm confounded the democrats gave prime-time speaking spots to the president of planned parenthood. the republicans put up ethnic governors like the first indian american female governor in this country, susana martinez, two chief executives talk about what they'll are talking about in south carolina and new mexico to help grow the economy . host: kellyanne conway, republican pollster and president and ceo of the polling company. we're talking about issues in

the 2012 presidential campaign coming out of the conventions. 'arol on the democratss line. caller: this is why you cannot trust polls. the people that do those are biased. then they talk religious. how about nuns on the bus. i like the health-care plan. my grammar was on it and she has a pre-existing condition -- my granddaughter was on that and she has a pre-existing condition. women do not talk weekly about millionaires needing tax breaks. host: kellyanne conway, any reaction? guest: why the president did not

talk about the affordable care act that she is bragging about on his behalf? as soon as the supreme court upheld the legality of the affordable care act if you months ago, the president did not mention it in his president address that very weekend and did not talk about it at any length last night in his prime time speech. he spent more time lking about how he does not like negative ads. how does he have standing to say that? his campaign is spending millions of dollars negative advertising. i am suggesting he is running a challenger's campaign.

this man is part of the system. her comment about nuns on the bus -- there are plenty of people who believe in the social justice agenda. i would ask those nuns to explain, how can you square president obama's record with the extreme poverty rate being the highest ever recorded? people are suffering. that is an economic fact. host: this is roy on our republican line. caller: good morning. barack obama, i know he likes the chicago white sox and i do, too.

which one is going to be better, mitt romney or barack obama? they keeps saying the same thing. which one is going to come down to the vote? which one will be more majority? what are the they going to do for this country? what president is going to turn this president -- this country around? we have to have oil in this country. we have to burn coal. the tornados and stuff, it just comes and goes. guest: i think energy is a sleeper issue to this electorate and breaking the back of this split between mitt

romney and obama. energy brings together the things that people say are important to them -- job creation, less dependence on foreign leaders, and a more vibrant economy. did research for a new national energy foundation. voters told us the difference between what is nice to have and what they need to have. need to have now are american jobs, a more vibrant economy, less dependence abroad, and something made in the usa. we have such incredible abundant resources, including oil, gas,

and coal. for many of these blue-collar for whom theats jobs are not coming back, energy is that arena with hydraulic fracturing, or a lot of these jobs are ready-made for men and women looking for long-term financial security. i think energy is an important issue. i know that governor romney came out with an energy plan. president obama has solyndra and they failed. that was our money. that was the big gamble for solar. gas prices are the floor for this energy debate.

i am impressed about the average onrican's conversesncy energy. host: chuck is on our line.ndencts' caller: let's start out with the health-care bill. if you take out the insurance companies, they do not bring anything to the table except their product. i want to deal with my doctor, my acupuncturist, my other types of holistic type doctors. host: i think we lost chuck. guest: i got his point.

we have heard from voters. voters see it as patient, doctor, and right in between is the government. there are people that need access to health care. that is a noble goal which we all share. the fear that many have -- they were concerned about a lack of quality and a loss of consistency. the lack of consistency for them was scaring. if the bell labs -- bailouts the tip of the iceberg, health care

is the tipping point. it goes back to his health-care plan. i think his pollsters must know that. host: egested a political poll -- you just did a political poll. guest: we asked what they think about president obama switching his position on gay marriage. then we asked a question about health care. 51% supported the united states supreme court on health care. women are respectful on authority and they know the supreme court is the last word unless congress comes back and passes legislation. more women would say people who

did not light it litigated -- who did not like it litigated it. it is not a partisan split. independent women are skeptical of government. the local boy who could not get the transplant in time -- a horrible story. the look at the interests of nature. is see that in the lifetime paul -- you see that in the lifetime poll. host: michele from pennsylvania. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. your guest has it all wrong.

the president laid out very well what he has accomplished and what he plans on doing. i can tell the people understand. do not understand where you're getting this information. the president came into office as saying mess. i do not understand how you can say what you're saying. thank you for taking my call. guest: i appreciate that and you have echoed the chief message from the republicans is going to be -- "four war years is not enough" -- the message from the democrats. you will see lukewarm reaction to the president's talk last

night. the speech was move from a 70 ,000-seat venue to smaller than you. .t wasn't a 2008 obama speech a writer from "the washington post" is pulling apart the claim on the debt reduction. it does not make economic sense. it will not work. i was quitting the president as a gifted orator or -- i was the president as a gifted orator fo.

host: we are moving forward. cassandra, go ahead. caller: i voted for the bushes back in the day. it was a dead dog. we need to move on. the problem stems with everybody talking about obamacare. it is not obamacare. he didn't do that. host: there was some thinking that the president had mentioned the previous administration. there wasn't much talk about the george the bush administration. guest: not from the president but some of his surrogates did

his dirty work. george w. bush does not put himself out there bank as a public figure. he did not go to the convention in tampa. he is not playing a pundit. that should be respected. he said he would not get in the way of his successor. the democrats went for broke in criticizing mitt romney. instead of talking about the great that has been done in the obama administration, go back and add it all up, there is much more about mitt romney and tax breaks for the rich and the whole kitchen sinks then there

was x-y-z and why he should continue forward. people get tired of you looking back. they expect the president to be 4-looking -- to beat ford- looking -- to be forward- looking. kennedy over nixon, carter over ford, bill clinton over george herbert walker bush. barack obama over hillary and john mccain. that is a big mess it's moving forward. -- that is a big message moving forward. i would give them that advice.

host: a candidate more pleasant and you mentioned you thought the president was less joyful. you see the issue of a candidate's personality being a factor among voters? guest: let's not confuse that with like ability or their personal story. it is great the respective wives gave powerful speeches about their husbands and about their vision and about who they are. it makes for great tv. this year with people suffering economically and feeling frustrated about future prospects, i think nafta is more important than chemistry. -- i think math is more

important than chemistry. i think likability is overrated. people will like you if they feel you can provide them with economic prosperity and some type of financial security. host: garrett is in detroit on the independent's line. -- gary. caller: i fell for the line about how the republicans are visonists. all my life i worked very hard. i paid all my taxes, did everything i should do.

one time i moved out on a ranch and try to make it on my ranch, i did not have insurance and that's when i came down with heart problems and colon cancer and had nothing to fall back on. i went on food stamps, the lowest point of my life. the wasn't for help from the forrnment -- if it wasn't help from the government, i would never have survived. andno longer a republican one never support a republican again. as far as the democrats taking responsibility for this, they will never take responsibility for something the republicans

have drove us into. this is a ditch the republicans have drove us into. glad your health has turned the corner. medicare is barack obama the first president to have cut medicare. $716 billion in cuts to medicare through the affordable care act. the romney-ryan ticket has a plan to save medicare for the future. we as a nation have made a promise to seniors and juniors seniors who are expecting medicare and social shisecurity that we must honor. how

do we know our children and grandchildren will have access to what you needed? how do we know the promises we can keep to seniors will be there? every republican should stand up and say, i was asked to cut medicare and 30 times i said no. that is a very big problem in obamacare and affordable care act. it is part of what his folks have not mentioned it. that issue is on the table. let's have an honest and intelligent debate. host: a little under 10 minutes

with kellyanne conway. a report from charlotte in "the baltimore sun" this morning. they quote a guest we have done yesterday who said that 10 million more women than men voted in this country in 2008. host: your thoughts on that. guest: she had a prime-time speaking slot at the democratic national convention. this is the georgetown law student who could not afford

contraceptive even though it is $9 at target. this shows you the difference between the two parties. if you believe the future is about contraception and you thought it was a good idea to give a prime-time speaking slot to give to a law student and to the president of planned parenthood and to a party whose party platform makes no exception to abortion on demand -- late term, great. versus the republican party trying to reach out to women of romney's generation -- i

think everybody should be reaching out to all women. women are most predominantly concerned about jobs, the economy, health care, education and some combination of government spending or energy or immigration. women have made clear what motivates them. the very least should be to meet that call. there are more unmarried women now. women say "sometime later" instead of "i do." host: the labor department has

issued the report with the unemployment figure falling from 8.3% to 8.1%. how important was this number for the president? guest: you saw some stories that it was poor timing to come out hours after the president cost prime-time address. the unemployment is not 5% or 6% or what vice president biden promised it would be when they sign the stimulus package. if you look at 1994 vs 2012, many people like to analogize breaking's economy, the

unemployment rate was so high. at this point in 1984, the better.was much the unemployment rate was lower . people need to feel it. people don't feel we're better off. host: we have a couple more minutes with kellyanne conway. anna marie, thank you for waiting. caller: on the medicare cuts, president obama -- the cuts he is making our for waste, fraud, and abuse. i do not know what the republicans are talking about.

watching this channel is getting so upset. guest: we do not want you to be at supset. i went around the state with newt gingrich. the first thing he wanted to do it was cut the fraud, waste, and abuse out of medicare. here we go full circle. that is not all that is being cut. there are government analysts that have said so. think obama could have done was take advantage of the fact that president clinton, felt like he did not continue the narrative. bill clinton can be very

helpful to barack obama in a state like florida. host: we have another caller from florida. mike is on our republican line. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am a conservative. we have some interesting conversations. we do a lot of research. i took my wife to see the movie america."ma's she said, "i could never vote for that person." at the end of the movie, people were standing up singing "god bless america.' host: have you seen that film

? -- have you seen that film? guest: i have. it is one of the best received documentaryies. people should go see it with an open mind. what will it be if he is elected for another quarter years? -- four years. host: ralph is our last caller. caller: what a tangled web we weave. there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. i am 61 years old and four years

in the marines. i worked in the movie business. you are just not telling the truth. you take a grain of truth and the package it. that is your job. why can a republican tell the truth? you do not know what it is. you have never been there. host: we will let kellyanne conway respond. guest: i'm sort that you feel that way. -- i am sorry that you feel that way. i proudly come from make middle class background. you are judging somebody that you do not know.

i'm not into returning insult to guests. span.ust happy to be on c- i believe republicans respect entrepreneurs. i believe this was the greatest country ever built. to give as an impressive rundown of the work you have done. i know what it is like to work 12-hour days. everybody has their version of the american dream. i am not going to return the insults. i wish you well. host: thank you for joining us. guest: all the best.

host: we will look at the new jobless numbers. our guest will be marilyn geewax. we will talk about the jobless numbers. then paul taylor from pew research center joins us. that's ahead here on "washington journal." [video clip] >> the thousands of students will begin on a key phase of their moral development. today's college students are

tomorrow's teachers, investment bankers, and politicians. this is an opportune moment for leaders to take the necessary steps to create a culture of honor. has artificial rules -- the ncaa has artificial rules. that is enormously significant. only 1% of the college athlete ever go pro. 99% of the athletes who have been devoting their lives to the sports, because experience when they are generally money is the only opportunity to get a nest egg out of the value that they are creating an it is enormous.

>> i talked to the students in my class and we talked about the way in which it is structured and i say, what do think about that that you get for being a participant in an extracurricular activity? they'll think it is a good deal. it is a very good deal. >> there is more from this discussion on saturday night. more on the speech from susan sullivan on student cheating. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we're joined this morning by marilyn geewax, a senior business editor from npr.

the jobless number has dropped to a. 8.1%. guest: most economists expected the economy created about 125,000 jobs. that's what people thought. then the thought maybe it was more like 150,000. the reality is it is 96,000. it is not far from where people were thinking it was but it is still disappointing because it is down. host: 1 prie-dieu was from adp, 150,000 -- one preview was from adp, 150,000. guest: adp is measuring private

sector employment. they process perils and keep a watch on what people are paying -- they processed payrolls. estimates can be wrong. it is a big economy. scores of millions of people go to work every day. it is hard to get exact measurements. this number is an estimate that they will probably revise later. with more than 12 million unemployed, this is a slow number of jobs growth. what we're averaging this year -- it is amazing how trapped in a small range we are. unemployment rate has been 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 -- the job market has

stayed at a steady level, just above 8%. for that to persist is disappointing for workers. host: there was a report and a graph of for the jobs have gone over the present's term -- the president's term. now bumping along. this 96,000, where these jobs coming from? guest: earlier this year, manufacturing was stronger.

it has fallen back and that is disappointing. governments do not have enough money. they have been restraining the hiring of teachers and police. a lot of people are moving toward retirement in the postal service. there have been cutbacks as well. people are moving out of the labor force. that is one thing reflected in this report. the unemployment rate measured how many people are seeking work. if you are retired, you're no longer in the labor force, so you are not looking for a job. that allows the rate to drift down. there is no big breakout.

everybody keeps waiting for the month when we start to add jobs and it keeps chugging along, not horrible but bad when you have 12 million people looking. host: our phone lines are open. 202-737-0001 for democrats. republicans, 202-737-0002. 0205.endents, 202-628- there were 96,000 jobs added. guest: a strange thing is happening. a lot of baby boomers are a big part of the population and boomers are starting to declare themselves unemployed.

if you lost your job in 2008 and have been looking for a job for three or four or five years and you were 58 when you got laid .ff, you're just out people are starting to collect social security. we have seen a big surge in people collecting social security. more people are moving out of the labor force and saying, "i'm out. i'm done." or you might have decided to stay home with the kids. there are a number of people that are not try that hard to get into the full-time labor force. people are looking after multi generational families where you might be watching the kids and

your parents so you withdraw from the work force. host: will that create more of an opportunity for the work force? guest: if you're an employer and you think your business looks good, you do not want to see talent leaving the labor force. there are lots of opportunities. it is better for the economy to have engaged workforce that wants to work. people have not found things that pays enough to pay for your gas to get to the job, then you have people dropping out of the labor force. host: what do you hear from businesses? guest: there is a great sense of

holding back. corporations are sitting on cash. waiting on the fiscal cliff that congress needs to address. if we do not do something to fix that fiscal cliff, we could drop off and have a recession next year. pretty much everybody says someththat. a lot will happen all once. many people think we are sliding into recession. they are waiting to see what happens with congress and the election and what is happening in europe. there is a sense of treading water. the unemployment rate is bouncing between 8.2% and 8.1%.

caller: good morning. host: you are on the air. caller: that lady brought up a valid point about people jumping ship and going to the republican tea party in the second year of obama's administration. she said obama has not accomplished anything. the tea party gridlocked our government, which they are republicans. they openly stated they would not work with this president. all they all wanted to do was to get him out. why do they expect a vote from anybody?

their job is to work in it by patterson manner and accomplish things that help this country, not gridlock our government. host: robert, thank you for the call. guest: there is such gridlock in congress that many businesses have been holding back. they want to see the stimulus environment. the idea that there will be mandatory cuts that will start to kick in for government spending. those cuts could be dramatic for defense contractors. a lot of businesses say, "i do not want to be adding workers at this time if i lose a business

contract." the gridlock has been a lot of impact of the employers' thinking. host: rita, a republican. caller: i am retired and 77 years old. they shipped the call center over to the philippines. stan my husband and myself have barely had enough for food, gas, utility. i did get a job for it 25 hours a week about two months ago. i love the job. they cut me down to 20 hours. then i was cut down to 15 hours.

i see where the money is going. people are coming in from everywhere. they are getting food stamps, shelter, everything. they get a voucher for their utilities. we do not qualify for anything. host: rita from pennsylvania. guest: you have new information about average hourly earnings in the government report. payrolls edged dowdn onn one cet in august. there is frustration among workers that would like to see raises.

wages have been depressed. we see hours and wages have been restrained. host: 96,000 jobs added in august. is that full-time/ guest: yes. lots of people have part-time jobs and wish they had full-time jobs. host: if you found two part-time jobs in august -- guest: the report would not reflect that. host: is that more common? guest: people are doing more part-time work. things like power washing your

neighbors deck or mowing lawns. people making money but not showing up in the payroll survey because they know are not on an official payroll. these tend to be estimates. there will always be revisions. the number for july was revised. 163,000 jobs was revised down to 141,000 jobs. there is always rounding. look at these things and it is a blurry picture but enough of the picture to know that people have part-time work or casual work and there aren't enough jobs for people that are seeking it. host: curtis from maryland.

caller: i want to make a comment with regard to the economy. regardless of what the job numbers, the democrats are the ones that can fix the economy problem of this country. when i listen to president clinton, the eyes open for many americans. about 52 years. he said the republican presidents in the white house with fourmillin million jobs. my goodness. 42 million jobs compared with 24 million jobs within 24 years